This invention relates to the commercial production of licorice bites.
In the commercial production of licorice, the licorice mix is extruded through orifices to form strips. In a typical case, a group, for example, of fifteen or sixteen strips of licorice each, for example, 54 inches long, are extruded and deposited in parallel manner directly onto a rectangular board for transport, as by a conveyor, through a dryer and then to a further position at which the strips of licorice are lifted from the board and raised to the level of a second conveyor which carries the 54-inch strips to a cutter position at which the strips are severed into "bite" length, for example, one inch.
Licorice strips are made from a mix which includes among its ingredients flour, water, sugar and flavoring. Due largely to the presence in the mix of a substantial quantity of sugar, as the extruded licorice strips pass through the dryer they become tacky and tend to stick to the board on which they are being transported.
In the prior art, the sticky strips of licorice are lifted manually, as by the hand of an operator, and placed on a second upper conveyor which carries the strips to a cutting position at which they are reduced to "bite" length. The use of a second conveyor is necessary because the strips must be removed from the board before the board reaches the cutter.